The right man

The process was messy, which was expected, but it must come as a huge relief to everyone who cares about Indian cricket that it finally produced the right result. That nationality was even spoken of as a criterion for the selection of India's new coach betrayed the smallness of vision of those who chose to make it an issue. John Wright was a pioneer, and India have travelled a great distance with him, but there is a long way to go still and one wrong step could very well land Indian cricket on the wrong path. Mohinder Amarnath was a brave cricketer - and he could have been a great one with a bit of justice from the administrators - but why was he even in the frame for the coach's job? If you can choose from Sachin Tendulkar, Brian Lara and Inzamam-ul-Haq to bat at No. 4, why would you even consider Habibul Bashar? The Indian cricket team deserves the best coach available. Nationality and money are not issues. It should have been that simple from the beginning.

Some would have preferred, for the right reasons, Tom Moody. He is young, he has a lot to prove, and he has been an allrounder. It was assumed that he would have brought hunger, energy, and technical expertise to help the bowlers who, it must be said, need more help than the batsmen. But Greg Chappell, I believe, is the right man to take India to the next level. An interest - no secret for regular readers of this magazine - may be declared here: Chappell has been a WAC columnist for 18 months, which has given us the opportunity to be exposed to, and be enlightened by, his awesome cricket mind.

Sometimes there is a case against having great cricketers as coaches. Precedence certainly warns against it. Kapil Dev, though a great self-taught bowler, managed little as India's coach. Viv Richards was a disaster for West Indies. Barring Bob Simpson, who was a player of considerable means, most successful cricket coaches have been players of modest ability. Bob Woolmer and Duncan Fletcher had brief international careers, John Buchanan has had none, and though Wright had a long one, he would be the first to admit that he was lucky to be born in New Zealand. Great players, it can be argued, lack comprehension of struggle, tolerance for ordinariness, and the patience to wait for the right results.

Chappell is different. His learning didn't stop when he stopped playing; in fact, he has become an even keener student of the game since, dedicating a significant portion of his post-retirement life to understanding the secrets of success in cricket - both physical and mental. Some of his discoveries can be found in Cricket: The Making of Champions, which is a masterclass on the game. It isn't radical, it doesn't defy what we already know, but it goes way beyond the traditional coaching manuals. It touches on a few technical aspects but doesn't linger on them. It goes to the soul of cricket - balance, positioning, focus, and most of all, the power of the mind.

Few can identify and explain a problem as quickly and lucidly as Chappell does. He is a mesmerising speaker, and one who believes that information is best given when a player is ready for it. Those who think he might be too strong a personality would do well to note that he thinks coaches don't make a difference in the middle, players do. Wright took India across the bridge; Chappell can be expected to unlock a few doors, many of them inside the mind.